


HER PERSONAL AVENGER

by corsetedangel



Category: Loki - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-22
Updated: 2014-10-15
Packaged: 2018-01-20 09:21:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1505132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corsetedangel/pseuds/corsetedangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the party in Stuttgart, Germany just before you see Loki entering. Loki may be the bad guy, but even he has a gallant streak... so long as you properly kneel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ava sat in the shadows. The music echoed through the marble corridors from the gala down below. The gala for that pig, Professor Schäfer; the man who not only claimed credit for all of her work over the past year as his intern. But who now had the sheer gall to demand that she....  
A sound somewhere between a raging howl and a broken-hearted sob tore from her chest. She stood and with a determined gleam, strode forward toward the ornate staircase. By all that was right and just, she was going to let the world know who it truly was they were toasting and applauding.  
A vile, philandering lecher! A duplicitous thief made famous by claiming others' work!  
A strong hand closed around her wrist and pulled her back. "I wouldn't go starting any trouble if I were you." A leering grin parted the face of Gunnar Prednose, the troglodyte that Professor Schäfer had taken as his private security guard.  
Gunnar half pinned Ava against a pillar with his body, his mere presence was intimidating; the rumors of the other woman on Dr. Schäfer's staff that he had forced himself upon then threatened into silence was instantly foremost in her mind.  
"No screaming accusations or melodramatic tirades. You wouldn't want to cause a scene now, would you?" The brutish thug grinned, pressing against her.  
Ava wanted to slap his loutish face, scream for all to hear of the deeds of these two monsters.  
But who would believe her? She had already tried to report Schäfer's theft and the indecent proposals he had made. No one, it seemed, wanted to question the golden boy, the cash cow that brought so much prestige and notoriety to the university with "his" world renowned theories and research. Ava found that her allegations had gone unaddressed, in fact it was oh-so-subtly mentioned that her internship review was right around the corner.  
"Would you, Ava?" Gunnar's brow arched suggestively. "I think you would want me to let the professor know just how much of a good girl you are prepared to be." He traced a finger along her shoulder, bare due to the strapless evening gown she wore. "Or perhaps, a not so good girl."  
Ava hung her head, defeated by this whole corrupt system.  
Gunnar's boisterous laughter belled out along the columns and he descended the wide steps. She retreated but did not dare leave either, as Schäfer had "requested" she accompany him after the party.  
Ava wiped her shameful tears away but the anger only nestled deeper into her heart and mind. A calm, seething hatred came over her. Palms pressed against the cool marble banister, she gazed down upon Professor Schäfer and his sycophantic cronies.  
"I would do anything to see you bastards answer for this!" She hissed under her breath.  
"That is quite a vow, little one." A deep, rich voice sounded from behind her. She was too livid to be embarrassed by her epithet as she turned and beheld the speaker; she was not too livid to be completely unaware of his regal bearing and sumptuous visage, however.  
"It is not an idle one, I assure you!"  
"I know." The man came fully into the light. "I caught the end of your previous conversation."  
Ava went a bit pinkish for the indignity this man had witnessed. However there was something about this man that appealed to her; something beyond the scintillating image he made in his suit. He radiated a certain charm that made him larger than life.  
"I am Loki. I am your new king." He stated this like the opening line in an epic saga. Before Ava, every bit the child of Norse ancestors, could comment on his name, he stepped forward again. "Let us pretend that I had it in my power to grant you said revenge," Loki began to circle her. "What would my first subject give to her sovereign to proclaim loyalty?"  
Was he serious? Giving the name of a god, proclaiming himself king, and plying her for sexual favors! Yet, the aura around him spoke that he truly was a man to be reckoned with. His demeanor spoke volumes of refinement, nobility and a stance of sheer power. Ava was incredulous to find she believed every word he said.  
"A king could have anything his mind might imagine." Ava began. "It would be my duty to ask what he would desire me to offer up to him."  
"Oh, my sweet one." Loki smiled, delighted at her deference to his will, he paused directly behind her. "I realize I have not yet partaken of the welcoming flesh this realm surely does offer, yet my plans leave me little time for distraction this night."  
With a vixen's smile Ava took Loki's hand and led him deeper into the shadows. "Majesty, I believe I can serve that need most efficiently."  
She pulled him into a small alcove hidden by several large potted plants. Ava made little preamble, before lowering to her knees.  
Quickly her fingers plucked apart the button of Loki's trousers and freed his length. Truly it was not merely his bearing that was majestic. Looking up his long body he was more than charismatic, he had her utterly enraptured with lust.  
Loki looked down upon Ava as she gazed at him with a reverence so glorious he stiffened at the sight of her. She who gave herself so freely to him. Gently, Loki wrapped his hand through the warm, auburn tendrils of Ava's hair and taking his length in his own hand he touched the head to her moist, luscious lips. He watched her soft, dewy eyes as they drank in his image with an innocent awe.  
"Loki! My king!" Ava swore his name like a benediction before wrapping her mouth around him with desperate longing.  
Babe-in-the-woods she might be to the ways of a conqueror, but Ava licked and suckled every throbbing inch of cock until Loki thrust his hips violently forward forcing his way down her throat. His hands grasped tightly in her hair, tears rolling down her mascara-streaked face, jaw wide. She pleasured him with lips and tongue and fingers, stroking, sucking, swallowing around his swollen cock as he buried it again and again and again.  
Loki pistoned into her beloved face harder and faster until, with a maniacal leer he slammed into her throat with dangerous force. Loki emptied his cum deep into the throat of his concubine with a savage roar of lust and a violent shudder of his entire body, holding himself inside her until she struggled for breath.  
When her eyes met his, begging for air, Loki spoke. "Swallow me, pet." He ordered, though she had been forced to gulp twice as he had cum. When he felt the muscles of her throat work, he pulled out, yet still touching her cheek, half caress, half stern grip. "Every bit of your king?"  
"Yes, Sire." Ava replied.  
"It is part of you now, sweet one. As am I." He traced the edge of her cheek with his thumb. "Now stand, and I will know the depth of your loyalty."  
Ava regained her feet and Loki pushed his hand up under the tea-length skirt of her dress. Two lithe fingers slid inside the fabric of her panties and Loki snickered softly.  
"My pet?"  
Ava blushed slightly. "It gave me pleasure to serve my king."  
Loki plunged his fingers hard into her and she moaned aloud.  
Fingers scissoring, thumb pressing circles around her clitoris, Loki forced Ava's head back by the hair. "It will please you even more when I have time to serve you, little one." He brought her a hairsbreadth from her own release when he stopped.  
"You belong to me now, pet. Yes?"  
Mewling and begging Ava responded in the affirmative.  
Loki was not gentle as he worked her twitching pussy and clit... and Ava could not have hoped for anything more perfect. To be his subject, his creature, to simply be HIS. Her orgasm was nearly instantaneous, and it ripped through her so deeply that Loki had to hold her upright, cradling her as Ava was wracked with sobs.  
In her physical rapture, Ava barely noticed when Loki slipped the gold and emerald bracelet around her wrist. He moved her to look at him again, brushing the hair from her face.  
"I have dallied too long, I fear." The King spoke. "You will leave now. Go home, someone will come collect you for me. You will never again be with another, pet. Am I clear?"  
"Yes, Loki, My King." Ava shivered at the stern and loving regard. "But where are you going?"  
"To punish those who wronged you, sweet one." He dropped a quick, gentle kiss to her shoulder before turning toward the stairs. He had come for Schäfer already (or part of him anyway), but to avenge Ava was now his pleasure.  
Ava's cold wrath returned. "My beloved king," a dark glitter filled her eyes. "If you kill them both, I will chain myself to your bed for all eternity!"  
Loki turned back with a dark grin. "You already have, pet."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning after Loki and Ava met at the party in Stuttgart, Germany.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't think this would be more than a one shot, but I just can't leave it alone lately. Right now it's just a lead into what might become a full fledged work of its own. Some smut, some actual plot, and all points in between.

Her legs still numb from the body rush of orgasm given her by a complete stranger, her mind reeling from witnessing the attack Loki made against Gunnar and that contemptable pig, Heinrich Schäfer on her behalf (though she suspected he might have his own reasons, why else be at the gala?), Ava hurried unsteadily toward the side exit from the building. With each step away from the man the fog that had descended on her brain began to lift.  
A king? Some sort of avenging Angel conjured by her rage? She must have lost her mind to even consider such things! But ...  
His gaze had been beyond hypnotic. His touch had brought chills, quite literally, to the core of her being. A tremor ran through her that she could be so completely mesmerized. Grasping her arms to warm them she caught sight of the gift he had slipped around her wrist. A cuff bracelet that appeared to be solid gold and studded with emeralds, it was certainly heavy enough to be authentic.  
Either this man with the name of a god was a sexually predatory, charismatic, psychotic murderer who roamed around looking for wronged young women to enthrall with some bizarre sort of animal magnetism, seduce, champion and gift expensive jewelry to. Or he was what he claimed to be...  
But really, what HAD he claimed to be? A king and now something of a benefactor to her.  
From several streets over to the south Ava could hear sirens approaching followed by an explosion and screeching tires. It occurred to her that she might get into a lot of trouble for leaving the scene, but she had not been inclined to make her presence widely known. The only two who had seen her weren't likely to be telling any tales. Perhaps there were security cameras outside the utility doors where she had made her escape, but from the sounds of it the authorities were going to have their hands full with Loki for quite some time yet.  
A tiny voice told her she was too smart to fall for something so far fetched as a mad man claiming to be the new king of the world, and too old to believe in knights riding to rescue the damsel. But obviously that voice had been out to lunch when he had been standing before her. Loki was not some puffed up lunatic, he had...  
Dammit, she couldn't put her finger on it, could not categorize or define that palpable aura of power and sovereignty, and that irritated her beyond measure. Irritated and fascinated.  
A cab came along and Ava hailed it, but not before hearing what sounded like a nasty fight coming from the square on the High Street. She guessed that Loki could probably take care of himself but that didn't keep her from worrying a bit. In less than an hour's time, she had truly become enamoured with him. Ava had always been shy and retiring but no one could have called her submissive. And yet here she was... 

A quick shower, and a long drink and now Ava sat in her living room, curled in a fluffy white bathrobe waiting for... what? Not Loki, he said he would send someone else to pick her up. Midnight came and went, as did the first four hours of this new day, and it began to look as though dawn might do likewise. Ava turned on the news to see if there was any word.  
"...emson, Emergency Manager of City Gas, said that the investigation into what caused the leak could take several weeks. Back to you, Gregory."  
"Thank you, Stephen. Again, for those just tuning in, a gas explosion during a gala for the University of Stuttgart has taken the lives of seven people, including prominent physicist, Dr. Hein... "  
Ava stared blankly at the screen, catching only bits of the report.  
"... as many as 128 people being treated for asphyxiation and poisoning. Any one who may have been in the vicinity is advised to seek medical attention. The symptoms may include headache, hallucinations, vertigo..."  
"...an additional victim in Police Officer Stenz Hanson, who crashed his cruiser on the way to the scene..."  
"...have cordoned off the area... trespassing will be punished in the strictest way possible..."  
"...no..." the sound was pitiful even to Ava's own ears. It wasn't true. He was real. Loki was real! She had not suffered from poisoning brought on by a massive natural gas leak. Had she?  
"NO!!" Ava broke down in sobs.  
"Get used to the lies, sweetheart." A voice sneered from the darkness just beyond the circle of light cast by her small lamp. "But then, you have been hearing them all your life. Welcome to the real world."  
Ava nearly screamed as the man stepped forward. He was dressed in black from head to toe, a chrome look bow slung across his back.  
"Who are you?" She demanded.  
"Loki has been taken by S.H.I.E.L.D. He asked me to collect you for him."  
"A, what's 'S.H.I.E.L.D.'? B, that doesn't answer my question. C, if he was taken away, how did he ask you anything?"  
The man, whose look was the very definition of average, offered a sardonic smile. "He appeared to me in a vision."  
Ava made the slightest gesture toward her kitchen, thinking of the knife drawer to fend off this intruder should he try anything.  
"For now you can call me Hawk." Clint saw her twitch and realized she had no intention of leaving with him if he didn't make with some answers. "We don't have time for the formal introductions at the moment. I do what Loki asks, and he asked me to take you to HQ."  
Ava regarded Hawk dubiously, though inwardly she was rather glad of this confirmation that Loki wasn't a fevered dream as the news was suggesting.  
"What do his wishes matter now that he's been arrested?" Ava seemed to deflate.  
"Not to worry," Hawk grinned and scanned the street from the window. "All part of the plan."  
"Plan?"  
"You didn't think they were going to just crown him on the U.N. steps in the morning, did you? I'm afraid they're going to need some... convincing." He patted a pouch hanging from his belt.  
Suddenly the man grabbed Ava, knocked the lamp to the floor with a crash and pinned her down covering her mouth. She thrashed in shocked protest but he wrapped his hand around her throat. He hissed, one hand on her neck, the other at the back of her head. It occurred to Ava that he was probably used to snapping necks in this way.  
"Shut up, they're coming."  
For long moments Ava didn't hear anything but the subtle whirring of an engine slowly came to the fore. The man lowered his head to nuzzle at her neck and whispered in a barely heard susseration. "They are running a grid scan of the city. Right now it will just be infrared, they will think we're either fucking or I'm raping you. Either way, it's not what they're looking for so they won't interfere."  
While Hawk spoke a soft blue light pulsed through the window and the hum moved overhead. For an agonizingly long moment it seemed to pause directly above the street outside Ava's 8th floor apartment before moving slowly along. Hawk remained in place, obviously he could sense the engines long before and after it was perceptible to her. Ava lay rigid beneath him until he rolled to the side, he had not used the opportunity to cop a feel as some might.  
"I'm a ghost in 3 minutes." Hawk stated stoically. "Come with me or don't is up to you."  
Though Ava got the feeling that one side or the other might decide she knew too much to be allowed to walk around.  
On one hand, a dark avenger who had infected her very soul and was about to make a play to rule the entire world.  
On the other, a shadow agency who controlled the media and used infrared drones to spy on civilians.  
Who the Hell were the good guys?  
What the Hell had she gotten herself into?


	3. Chapter 3

After quickly dressing, Ava followed Hawk down the fire escape to the filthy alley behind her building, taking only her purse and one small overnight bag. The apartment had been very Spartan and there was nothing she would miss. Two days worth of clothing, tooth and hairbrush and several notebooks and zip drives of her work were all she had time or inclination to bring with her.  
She had no family to speak of and her studies had left little time for friends. Anyone who might wonder where she had disappeared to would likely think she had perished in the "accident" at the gala.  
Hawk spoke into a radio and within minutes a dark town car approached. The driver looked disdainfully at Ava then snarled something at Hawk in a language she didn't understand. The archer responded in a very officious tone, using Loki's name and the subject was abruptly dropped as the driver opened the trunk and placed her bag inside, in a manner that said he did not want his behaviour called into question.  
The car was about as luxurious as Ava could possibly imagine. Upholstered in a soft, velvety, moss green suede and wanting for nothing in the creature comforts. Hawk slid in across from her and the chauffeur pulled away from the curb, but another exchange passed between the men briefly. This time it was Hawk who seemed to acquiesce, though Ava still had no clue what was said. Her native Swedish, the universal language of science and enough German and English to squeak by with her compatriots at the university were about all she could claim to know. Given that the driver appeared to be of Middle eastern heritage Ava guessed they were speaking in an appropriate tongue but for the moment, as long as she was not being left at curbside, she supposed it didn't matter.  
Hawk kept an eye out, for more drones Ava suspected, until the lights of the city faded behind them. Only then did he seem to relax.  
"You work at the university?"  
"I think it can safely be said that I am between jobs at the moment." Ava replied and Hawk huffed a short laugh.  
"We have plenty of scientists on the main project but I'm sure the boss will find a use for you." He had not made the statement in a sleazy way but it made Ava feel dirty just the same. How could she expect to be treated if it was common knowledge how she had come to be in her situation?  
"There is always a place for allies to the cause." Hawk backtracked, sensing her discomfort and opened a compartment in the middle of his seat and Ava saw a minibar, he pulled out a pair of chilled water bottles and handed her one.  
The green glass of the bottle began to bead with condensation in the sultry night air but even that did not explain how difficult it soon became to keep hold of it. The air in the cabin of the car seemed to thicken and Ava's head began to swim.  
"Wh-wha..."  
Hawk reached towards her and took the bottle just before it fell from her grasp. He spoke in a firm, even tone. "I drugged you. You will be okay, I promise but we really can't risk you knowing where the headquarters are. When Loki gets back from visiting with S.H.I.E.L.D. he can decide how much he is comfortable with you knowing but for now you can consider yourself my guest."  
Ava pitched forward unconscious. Hawk caught her and leaned her back into the seat.  
"Tasha never would have fallen for that." He mused, and then it was his turn to feel dirty. 

/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/

Loki promenaded down the corridor, flanked by two rows of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He had been surprised and that provoked his temper no end. The Bifrost had been destroyed dammit! And yet good ol' Thor still managed to show up.  
No matter, the oaf would not thwart him again, he simply would not allow it! These mortals could gather all the "heroes" they wanted, but he would win the day. But then, of course, he always arranged things to his advantage no matter what the short term brought. When you were cursed to deal with so many short sighted people as Loki was, it was easy to get one over on them. Thor most of all. Loki sneered, the moron was actually still trying to convince him to go home. As if Asgard had ever truly been a home to him. It had been a relief when Fath... when Odin had told him his true heritage.  
The squad of agents led Loki up a metal staircase to a large chamber taken up by the very contraption he had expected to see. He had to admit how ingenious the cage was, especially for Midgardians. A chemical matrix so strong it could contain the rage of the behemoth, but as clear as a fragile pane of glass. Built over a tube leading down to a blast door.  
Fury did his little spiel about how doomed he was, Loki acted appropriately disdainful and no one ever noticed the wisp of breeze that moved amongst them. It might take a day or two before the inherent mistrust among those gathered came to a head but it would happen just as he had foreseen. The Mind Gem Thanos had gifted to him in the sceptre was already working on the mismatched band. Thanos had given him all the pieces to the puzzle.. but it was he, Loki, who would triumph in the end.  
Loki's clone sat on the small bench and waited. If Hawk was correct, it would be the pretty face they sent to question him, not only about his end game but about Hawk himself. Unseen in the corner, Loki sighed. It was like living in a universe full of goldfish; short-lived, short-sighted goldfish.

In the meantime, Loki had time to think about what his first move as king should be. Of course he would have to make sure any resistance was quashed, but that would be simple really. The Midgardians would likely throw their most formidable weapons and warriors against him in the initial battle. Once they were out of the way he would begin rebuilding his new realm into the ideal kingdom. 

Settling in, Loki waited out the opportunity to make his next move. It was well enough to simply be even this removed from Thanos' yoke, he stifled a shudder and forced his mind to turn to other matters. It was almost a given that once the Midgardians realized what he was offering they would not hesitate to accept his rule but he had not expected to find one such as Ava so quickly. A darkly gleeful smirk twisted his face at the thought of her. Once he had fully established himself to the world, Loki decided, he would find that ancient ornate alter where he had ended Ava's tormentor and gift it to her. It would be far more than an eye he took from her upon that slab.

/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/

Ava woke by slow degrees. She remembered last night's gala, trysting in the foyer with Loki, his attack on Gunnar and Professor Schäfer, hearing the white wash cover up of the event on the news, and being surprised in her apartment by Hawk. She even vaguely recalled him telling her she had been drugged, though she may have dreamed that part, it was a bit fuzzy.  
Was it really just last night that it all had happened? Ava felt as though she had been asleep for a very long time. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around.  
The bed was a large, ornate affair with a downy spread in a familiar shade of green. The sheets were so soft she moved her legs a bit just to experience the sensuous feel of them. It was then Ava realized she was completely nude but for the gold and emerald bracelet. She decided that being drugged was no dream. A lifelong light sleeper, she could never have remained asleep while being stripped otherwise. For a moment she feared what else may have been done to her but after taking stock of how her body felt she didn't believe she had been molested in any way. And given that everyone seemed to be somewhat afraid of Loki Ava doubted they would risk his wrath. He had ordered her to keep only to him, what might he inflict upon anyone taking what was his?

Though she would have loved to stay in the luxuriant bed and daydream about what she and Loki might get up to within those decadent confines, Ava finally pulled herself from beneath the covers. Whoever had put her to bed had also seen fit to hang her meager belongs in the wardrobe. Two sets of matched bra and panties, one a soft blue the other a dusky red, a pair of jeans, a black pencil skirt, a pink sweater and a dove grey blouse. All she now possessed in the world aside from the notes regarding her work. After dressing in the jeans and sweater, straightening her hair and slipping on the pair of black ballet flats she had worn from her apartment when she and Hawk had made their escape, Ava exited Loki's chamber.  
The corridor she now found herself in could not have been more different from the bedroom. Both were of an ancient stonework but that's where the similarities ended. Where the boudoir had been warm, inviting and luxurious the hallway was drafty, cobwebby and downright frigid. Ava had barely traveled a dozen paces when the sound of footsteps descending a nearby staircase echoed from the stone walls and she froze. What might she expect given the apparent mistrust of her presence.  
A pair of black-garbed men rounded a corner ahead of her and approached her in lock step.  
"Hawk thought you would be awake by now," the taller of the two spoke as they halted in front of her. "He sent us to collect you."  
The man who spoke looked to be of middle years with salt and pepper hair and blue eyes, he regarded her with weary civility. His companion was half a head shorter possessing dirty blonde hair and dark eyes that looked Ava up and down with a lecherous disdain. His expression left nothing to the imagination about what he was thinking. Ava felt deflated and filthy in his gaze and crossed her arms over her chest.  
The elder of her escort swept his arm back the direction they had come and offered what seemed a genuine half smile. "Right this way." And they led Ava down three floors to a dusty great room where several long tables had been set up cafeteria style. A dozen or so men, dressed identically to her escort were scattered around the room. At a smaller table at the head of the hall Hawk was talking to an elderly man who seemed to be more interested in a sheaf of papers in front of him than the conversation. Ava recognized the focused demeanor of a scholar, she had both seen it and partook of it often enough.  
"Ah, Ava," Hawk said, looking up at the threesome's as they approached. "Thank you, gentlemen. That will be all for now."

The older man looked up and Ava knew him instantly. "Dr. Selvig?" Ava declared dumbfoundedly. "I'm sorry to gush but it's a great pleasure to meet you, sir. Your work on dark matter theory has been such an inspiration to me."  
"I had heard Dr. Schafer's protege was among us." The man gave a smile that did not reach his eyes that Ava now saw were the same unnatural blue as Hawk's. "Or, knowing Heinrich Schäfer, more like his ghost writer."  
Ava smiled almost malevolently, the image of Loki flipping her former employer onto the table and ripping his eye out played through her mind once more. "I see you were well acquainted with his tactics."  
"The man hadn't done his own work in years." Selvig smirked. "I can't count the number of times that bastards was up on inquest. Somehow the witnesses kept getting amnesia before they could testify."  
"Yes, something of a medical anomaly. Though Loki seems to have found the cure."  
Hawk laughed as Ava sat down and worked at the plate of food a young man had set in front of her.  
"How long was I out?" She asked Hawk after Dr. Selvig had once again gotten lost in his work.  
"About thirty-six hours." Hawk replied, noting with some interest in how she was seemingly so accepting of his actions now. "I have used that specific concoction on more than one occasion, I can time the wake-up to within an hour."  
Though she couldn't argue with his reasoning given the circumstances one thing did cause her concern. "Has there been any word about Loki?"  
"O yes," Hawk drained the coffee cup in front of him. "We are going for extraction in just under three hours. I was hoping to recruit you for a special task."  
"How can I help?" Ava asked.  
"It's more research than actual work. I hope you won't be too bored." Hawk began. "But you will be in the lab with Erik, so you can get in all the hero worship you can muster."  
Ava blushed at her own fangirling.  
"There's a future project that Loki had been hoping to undertake once the first hurdle is cleared. What do you know about Einstein-Rosen Bridges?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry some of the chapters are a tad short. I work on them when I have a spare moment and I hope you enjoy reading them as much I enjoy writing them. From its humble beginnings as a one off bit of cheesy smut, I have opted to make this a work of speculative fanfic, if you'll allow me to turn a phrase.  
> Enjoy!  
> C.A.

Once lunch was over, Hawk bid Dr. Selvig and Ava Schwartz farewell before leaving to retrieve Loki from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tender mercies. After seeing them off Erik showed Ava around the makeshift lab like a proud mother hen. Ava couldn't decide if the place more closely resembled a cave or a dungeon but either way the level of sterilization only went so far though for this phase of the plan these facilities were more than ample.  
Only Erik and Ava were allowed access to the main lab, Erik inside a small enclosure cordoned off by sheets of plastic and Ava several yards away pouring over her notes on spatial distortion. Hawk's remark about Einstein-Rosen Bridges was quite intriguing but it didn't tell her precisely what Loki had in mind, that she would have to ask him herself as His Majesty had not spelled it out for Hawk, who wouldn't have understood the more technical jargon, or Selvig who had his hands full with whatever was creating the soft blue glow. Ava had not been told exactly what that might be as of yet.

#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#

Loki fairly ached with anticipation. When his connection to Hawk had told him that the extraction team was soon to be on the way the air was already alive with tension but when the craft had dropped and lurched sickeningly The Trickster knew that the pawns were in motion. A sneer crossed his face, to think that Fury and his ilk didn't see this coming was laughable. The egos alone were kindling for a perfect firestorm of drama, mistrust and betrayal. He doubted that his presence was really even needed in this simmering pot.  
When Loki heard the beast's howl of rage he looked up just in time to see his clone mirror that same grin. The game was afoot. Still unseen, Loki rose and went to retrieve his sceptre.

#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#

A crash and several choice expletives came from Selvig's enclosure making Ava, who had been completely engrossed in her own work, startle abruptly.  
"Where'd that little bastard go this time?" Erik muttered irritability.

"Is everything alright, Dr. Selvig?" Ava approached cautiously.  
"My microspanner keeps growing feet."  
Ava looked quickly about trying to spot the illusive tool. "Is it metric or avourdupois?"

"It's... neither." Erik leaned through a split in the plastic partition and motioned Ava forward with a conspiratorial manner. "Here I'll show you if you can keep a secret."

"Of course," she nodded and stepped through to help Erik look.

The glow was more intense up close... but it was far more than that. The cube seemed to pulse like the heart of the entire universe and Ava was mesmerized for a moment. The thing seemed to speak to her somehow. A soft almost maternal voice, but it was a voice in pain, in distress.

"... or seven inches, chrome. The marks on the end are made specifically with the tessaract in mind so you might not understand them but you should be able to recognize what it is." Selvig was describing the microspanner but Ava was too enraptured by the cube for the moment.

Her head swam. It was like trying concentrate on the sound of one voice in a room full of people screaming. But what had the voice said? It was warning her, pleading for her to fix something. 

"Miss Schwartz?" Erik put his hand on her arm.

"Ye..yes, Dr. Selvig. I'm sure I'll know it when I see it."

The man proceeded to rummage through a table of precision tools. Ava blinked dumbly for a moment to clear her head. Something had hidden the tool, but from who? From Selvig? 

The tessaract shimmered, as though affirming her suspicion. Seeing that her mentor was distracted Ava quickly studied the readout on the screen monitoring the strange box. 

"Hey Doc?" A guard's voice called from the far end of the lab. 

Ava quickly dropped to the floor, praying neither men saw her peeking at the screen. She didn't know yet exactly what the figures meant but she knew something was very wrong. 

The plastic sheet crinkled as the guard came through. 

"Here we are Dr. Selvig." Ava pulled the instrument from under the edge of one of the stone slabs in the floor where it had no business being. 

"The truck's waiting Doctor." The guard said staunchly, his eyes narrowed at Ava. "I'll help you get your equipment on board."

"Can I help?" Ava tried her best to appear nonchalant.

"I think we got this covered." Selvig replied with what Ava took as a note of suspicion. 

Ava wished him safe passage and quickly made her exit back to her workstation.

For the better part of the next hour the base was once again hive of activity. Even though Ava was not privy to certain aspects of the plan she was able to discern that Dr. Selvig and the cube were going to be on a truck going east and Hawk's team had headed due north. She supposed it didn't really matter at this moment, all she wanted to know was that Loki was safe and she would see him again soon. From the somewhat loose chatter it sounded like they were expecting to be home around dawn of the following day. Ava was almost giddy at the prospect of Loki's return. 

The second team departed and Ava continued with her work until her stomach told her it was time for dinner. Suddenly she wished she had paid closer attention when Erik had led her here from the cafeteria. With the base down to a skeleton crew there was no one to ask where she was going. Twice she had to backtrack through the maze of corridors just to find her way back to the lab so she could start over.  
"At this rate, they're going to find my sad desiccated corpse in a corner where I died gnawing on my own arm." Ava grumbled in stereo with her stomach.  
"I thought I heard someone walking around." A deep voice intoned from an alcove hidden in the rock to the left. A shadow moved along the wall briefly before a regrettably familiar face appeared. The younger of the guard that Ava had met upon waking. "You're not supposed to be wandering about on your own." He added pompously.  
Ava stood her ground and tried not to tremble. All her life she had known people of this man's ilk. Brutish imbeciles who sought to intimidate anyone smarter than themselves. 

"I'm looking for the stairs to the dining room."  
"Uh-huh." The sentinel remarked as though he doubted her, in reality Ava knew he would have stopped to harass her anyway. He took several more steps toward her and his eyes raked her slowly.  
"Can you tell me if I'm going in the right direction?" Ava asked putting on a blithe front.  
The man sneered. "I can show you some very interesting things down this way, but the cafeteria ain't one of 'em." He made a swipe to grab her but Ava ducked and fled back the way she had come. She rounded a corner out of his sight and halted, knees shaking, afraid he would follow her. Apparently he was not so undisciplined to leave his post and after she caught her breath the young physicist managed to return to the main level. The stairs came out right next to the entrance to the dining hall and Ava took safety in numbers as most of those still present and not on duty were here eating, chatting, some had even started up a game of cards.  
The way up to Loki's chamber (could it be called hers as well?) was thankfully much less circuitous and with the only person here who she so far found truly detestable on guard in the lower corridors Ava was more confident in her steps. She did manage to find another female and asked if there were a washroom in the vicinity. Though the woman, who appeared to be paramilitary, was not precisely friendly she did tell Ava about a makeshift shower room. It was not especially close to Loki's chambers but Ava very much wanted to wash before she again stood before her king.

#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#

Loki crouched down as the quinjet took off from the deck of the listing helicarrier.  
"Welcome back, Sir." The pilot greeted. "I trust the accommodations were to your liking."  
Loki smirked. "The fare was atrocious but the entertainment was excellent if a bit predictable."  
"Didn't Hawk make it?" One of the very few troops who returned to the ship asked.  
"Barton has a few extra assignments to carry out before he returns to our collective." Loki replied cryptically.

#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#

Chagrined that she had not been able to bring her thick comfy bathrobe, Ava made due. She would have to slip back into the same thing after her ablutions to keep her other change of clothes in good order for when Loki returned home. The hot water in the women's shower room had a very short lifespan and Ava's teeth were chattering before she had even rinsed the suds from her hair.  
Dressing quickly, hair in a towel, she sprinted back through the chilly corridors to the welcoming warmth of the bed chamber. There she was able to remove her clothes and slip into the toasty covers on the large bed. It was not long at all before sleep, this time a natural sleep, overtook her and Ava drifted down into a deep slumber.  
But the dreams that came to her were not peaceful. There was that same voice as earlier that spoke to her softly but it showed her things she did not want to see. A great army from beyond, an ignoble defeat and Loki hauled away in chains. Her love, her liege lord taken from her in shame.  
A cry of heartrending despair torn from Ava's lips and she woke with tears streaming down her face.  
A bell began to roll in the courtyard beyond the corridor outside the room and boots thundered on the stone almost drown out the drone of an engine coming in for a landing.


	5. Chapter 5

Ava exploded from the bed and threw the door open. A group of guards hurried down the hallway outside.  
"Is it S.H.I.E.L.D.? Are we found?" She asked in a panic.  
"The boss is coming. He called a formal address in the courtyard." One of the men spit out in a rush.

Ava couldn't move fast enough! If she could have brushed her teeth and hair at the same time she certainly would have. Loose, barely straightened hair just didn't seem right to present to a king.  
During her college days her roommate had often entertained gentlemen callers and would go into a frenzy of preparation. At the time Ava had been far more into her studies and thought anyone who went to university solely for the parties and casual sex was a complete moron; at this moment, however, she was glad to have been privy to so many quick beauty tips. Yet still she found herself wishing she had brought a more formal outfit or at the very least a hair apparatus or two. Or some makeup. Or high heels and nylons.  
Given that the last time they were face-to-face she had been wearing a ball gown and had full cosmetic benefit Ava hoped that Loki wouldn't be disappointed in her appearance.  
In less than ten minutes Ava was hurrying toward the courtyard with the last of the stragglers. She managed to find a place in the second row along the south wall, about half way between the archway back into the castle and Loki's waiting shuttle craft.  
The assembled company stood ramrod stiff and bandbox polished, weapons at parade stance. The young physicist felt like a complete fraud among that rank and file. Where Loki's troops were at perfect attention she couldn't decide what to do with her hands. Should she clasp them behind her back or in the front? The men around her made not the slightest movement save the rise and fall of their chests as they took breath. Ava could barely manage not to fidget.  
Even the soft susseration of halted breath hushed as the hydraulic pressure of the quinjet released. The gate lowered slowly to the stone of the courtyard and Loki descended from the craft in all his glory. His eyes swept the rows of gathered troops though his head never turned by the most minute portion. As he neared the lowest edge of the ship he nodded a silent approval of the scene, his helmet dipping at precisely the right moment. He was fluid grace and poise and though he had owned her heart from the first instant she had lain eyes on him, Ava's pulse quickened to see him in such regal bearing.

Abruptly the procession halted and Loki's eyes found Ava's with the sharp focus of a hawk in flight. A shiver tore through her soul. Without a sound he ordered the guard who strode at his right flank to draw back a step and he motioned with two crooked fingers for Ava to approach. Her heart thundered heavily in her chest and she moved toward him in a daze of awe, her worship of that countenance a well-spring of pure, abiding adoration and when at last she stood before the God of Mischief and Chaos Ava could not help but drop to one knee. The gathered troops be damned!  
It was a strange thing being near a god and king. It had its own physical presence. The most nearest experience would be standing next to a very handsome and charismatic man wearing a cologne that created an aura of allure, a palpable sense of attraction, confidence and sexual appeal. "My king!" She breathed in a tone of perfect reverence. 

+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+

Despite the dozens of assembled followers, Loki saw only Ava as she paid such unbidden homage. He beamed to have her before him again and received her gladly. He looked down upon her as she knelt in worship. His first, and to-date, only true subject.  
Her head bowed, Loki's fingertips caressed her hair, cherishing the way the beams of pre-dawn glistened in the reddish strands. Such a profound and precious moment she had given him, to show so much open adoration.  
The men, both those in attendance and those already in the field, were here for a variety of reasons but none of them could truly be called subjects; at least not yet. Some had flocked to his banner out of spite for the current powers that be; some in hopes of garnering favor; and no small number simply because they, like he Himself, craved the mayhem but, unlike He, lacked the power to create it themselves. He welcomed all who had heeded the call. But Ava alone He had found to be that perfect mix of submissive and self-possessedness. To say nothing of that dark edge of her heart that He had witnessed the birth of.  
And O, how He had nurtured it!  
Ava was His joy. His beloved. His creature to the blackest part of her soul.  
It stirred Him to think on and when Ava gazed upward along his lean, lithe form he saw in her eyes that flash of memory they shared. A tryst in the shadows before she had witnessed her first death.

Loki offered his hand. "Rise, my sweet."  
Ava accepted the assistance and as she stood Loki brought her hand to his face. "Your place is with me, not among the vassals." He kissed her knuckle and caressed it with his thumb for one brief moment before Ava stepped into the space at his right flank.  
The procession continued across the stones of the courtyard, Loki's boots making soft strikes like the pendulum of a clock and indeed there was a certain anxiousness in the air, like the building charge of a coming storm.  
Loki mounted the steps beneath the archway and turned around. Ava, taking a cue from the four guards who had accompanied Loki from the ship, stepped to the side, on the riser just lower than the king.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

As their leader mounted the steps to address them those convened within the stone enclosure pivoted in unison. Loki looked around at them all and it struck him, this was his first formal speech. During his brief reign over Asgard he had spoken in an official capacity to several small groups (the privy council, the heads of the palace guard, even his...Thor's friends) but there had been no coronation, he had not even held a full court before being ignominiously exiled by the man he had once called Father. The fact was both exhilarating and terrifying and for a moment Loki was at a loss for words.  
Granted this was only the barest fraction of the number who would come to call him their ruler but at this moment Loki Silvertongue was utterly dumbstruck. His bearing and demeanor never faltered however. He looked along the rows of men, and several women, and found no inspiration there. Even among the small number he had come to think of as his personal guard conjured no thoughts of grand motivation.  
The sky had lightened considerably since his shuttle had touched down but night had not yet passed completely. Loki looked at Ava in the purple hue of sunrise and saw the first glitter of daybreak reflected there and the words came to him. A brilliant winsome smile brightened Loki's face and he spread his arms, palms outward in an open gesture.  
"My friends," he began. "The dawn breaks on a new day!"  
The gathering energy swelled among this, the vanguard of Loki's army.  
"Like the night, the reign of the old guard is at its close. And with that darkness ends the time when tyranny masked as tradition strangled the life from those truly worthy. From this moment on the Sun will shine on OUR faces!"  
Loki was in a maelstrom of spirit, he lifted his helm from his head and placed it in Ava's arms before stepping from the dias and moving fervently among his troops.  
"Too long have those born to privilege feasted on the fruits of luxury while others starve. We are not beggars and we will NOT settle for scraps from the table. NO MORE!"  
A fully met gaze here, a hand on a shoulder there and the electric charge swept like wildfire throughout the ranks. Even Ava felt the weight of Loki's helm lessen as her spirit soared.  
Loki moved back to the long aisle between the rows of soldiers once again.  
"My friends, I am not of this realm but believe me when I tell you that these evils that plague your world are known the universe over.  
"The stench of greed, of despair, of inequality; this world, indeed, many worlds, choke on them. I have seen what can become of a world when those who lead care solely for their own comforts while those whom they should protect and nurture are made to suffer in anguish. I have seen it, and I do not wish to see it here. Not anymore.  
"The wars, the famine, children dying in the arms of their mothers while those in power do nothing. Power was not given them merely to make life easier for them and theirs. They have wasted that power and it's time we take it away from them."

The light in the courtyard was still too dim to make a complete counting of those gathered but Ava guessed there was roughly a hundred and fifty. The volume of the applause and cheers seemed like tenfold however and Ava could never remember being more uplifted by a speech. If this gathering was being recorded she guessed it would one day be listed among the most influential in human history.  
Loki took the stairs again, arms raised, letting the accolades wash over him like waves before mentioning the crowd to silence once more.  
"Go now, my friends." He gleemed. "Make ready."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally it's ready. I apologize for the hiccup. I will take up exactly from where this leaves off in a day or two. Sadly, a bought of flu has stifled me for now.   
> The smut will commence hard and fast at that time. This chapter is a celebration of Loki's armor, which I LOVE!!

Once the crowd had dispersed, many of whom sought to shake his hand, Loki set his personal guard about several specific tasks before turning to make his own way into the castle. Ava struggled a bit to keep up with his long strides as she followed him along the chilly corridors. Passing one of the servants, Loki ordered a meal to be brought up to his rooms straight away. The young woman bowed in acquiescence and the pair continued onward.  
With the barest flick of a finger the door of Loki's private rooms swept open. Ava followed him inside and the portal closed behind her with a soft click of the latch. She looked 'round at the heavy oaken planks for a long moment, debating internally whether to tell Loki all that the tessaract had imparted to her now or later.  
 _There's not a lot of "later" to be had._ She told herself and turned back, ready to face whatever reaction the king might have for such terrible news.   
The effect of his nearness only increased as he closed the distance between them in a pair of steps. He swept her up into his arms, one palm resting along her spine, the other hand in the hair at the nape of her neck.  
"My dove," Loki breathed and claimed her lips in the deepest of kisses.  
All other considerations were cancelled; Ava wanted only to melt into that embrace, drown in his kiss, evaporate into the sensation of utter belonging. Since she had met this grandest and most mysterious of men, Ava had been besotted with a worship of her king. This... this was a different creature; more base, more intimate. Beyond sexual, though that certainly did play a part, this was a desire to deliver unto him an loving obedience.   
"I was worried for you, Sire." Ava gazed adoringly up into Loki's face. "When Hawk told me you had been arrested I feared the worst."  
"Leave your cares." Loki traced her lower lip with his thumb. "My detainment was anticipated. In fact, I counted on it. Just one more step in my plans."  
The would be sovereign king of Earth held his lover securely for a long span, knowing that until his plans reached full fruition such moments could prove rare.  
"After tonight S.H.I.E.L.D. will not find me so easily contained." He stepped away from Ava and again removed his stylized ram's horn helm. Sitting the elaborate headdress on a table he swept back the outer layer of his armor and loosed a strap that secured in place several daggers. He regarded them thoughtfully before turning back to face Ava, who he noticed was studying his armor closely.  
"A lesser man might feel violated under so intense a gaze." A darkly sensual smirk played across Loki's mouth. "You can ravish me soon enough, little one. I would speak plain for a moment." A flirtatious quip died on the woman's lips when she took in his serious expression. He held a pair of the sheathed weapons out to Ava.  
"Even my machinations do not always go to plan. If the battle does turn against me S.H.I.E.L.D. and those in their employ may well come after any who aided or associated with me." He pressed the items into her hand when she seemed reluctant to accept them. The darkly protective glower on Loki's brow brooked no refusal and Ava wrapped her fingers around the rich leather of the pair of knives.  
"I...I don't know how t...."  
Loki stilled her words with a glance. "I was not a natural born fighter either, but it would take months to teach you enough magic to be useful and I would not see you defenseless, darling. Once I leave for New York, those are not to be out of your possession for even a moment."  
"I understand." Ava looked down at the daggers silently, turning them over to peruse the detail. Loki held her arms. "Promise me." He said.  
Ava gazed up at him. "I promise, m-"  
"No, promise  _me."_ He urged with a hand over his heart.  
Ava met his eyes. Not the eyes of the king she obeyed or the god she had come to worship. The eyes of the man she loved. "Loki, I swear I will keep them with me."  
Loki pulled Ava to his chest and kissed her forehead gently.  
"You need your rest before the battle, I do not want to be a distraction." Ava said, her cheek resting against the firm leather of his breastplate. "I should go help the men prepare, there's not much time."  
A devil may care grin returned to his face. "It is a small handful of hours out there, but inside this room, I can make the time reach into an eternity." Hands flowed over her body freely once more. "And there is much I wish to share with you before I face the world I will shortly conquer."  
Loki took Ava's hands in his. There was a slight tingle as he seemed to lose cohesion. She realized it was not his silhouette that changed but his armor.  
Ava had not seen his transformation in Stuttgart, he had ordered her to leave ('though she had stayed long enough to see his work on Gunnar and the professor), so it stole her breath away to witness actual magic occur.  
The gleaming metals faded into their true, battle-scarred patina; the leather began to show the wear and weather it had seen in service of the warrior before her. For though Loki was a magician, he was the very definition of a battle mage; clever, cunning and fearless.  
He moved Ava's fingertips with gentle yet firm insistence to the buckle of the shoulder belt that held in place the outermost vestiges of his armor. The woman met his eyes with both reverence and curiosity, Loki confirmed with a nod his meaning and Ava began her assigned task-the removal of that storied garment.  
Though outwardly Ava retained her calm, worshipful demeanor, inside her heart beat a tattoo, a legion of butterflies swarmed through her stomach and her mind reeled. The endgame of undressing Loki might be a foregone conclusion and she had certainly been looking forward to it, but one didn't get the change to explore the armor of a god-king everyday!  
It didn't take long to see the first buckle undone. The leather strap itself was a bit trickier, it went through several slits in the leather of his overcoat, a long flat metallic chest guard, the shoulder guard and Loki's jerkin. As she slid the strap upward the detailing on the chest and shoulder guards caught her eye and Ava could not help but pause to study them more closely. The edges of the pieces were weathered but well defined as Ava traced the cool bronze with a fingertip.  
She realized she had paused overlong when she noticed the king watching her. She blushed slightly and was about to apologise when she really saw Loki's expression.  
"Do you understand the significance?" He asked, a dark- though not precisely angry- glower on his brow.  
"I do," Ava began. "Or, at least, I think I do." She loosed the skillfully crafted pieces from their places and held them gingerly. The detailing of the shoulder medallion showed the face of a very large wolf. "Fenris?" She ventured.  
"Fenrir." Loki corrected her softly. "The youngest of my sons."  
"Fenrir." She repeated and regarded the chest protector. "And Jörmungandr?"  
"Very good." Loki nodded, noting with pride how Ava had dulled the "J" into the sound of a "Y", had correctly emphasized the first syllable and turned the "R" into barely more than a breath. The convening ages since Midgard had relegated his existence into myth had seen a marked decline in the proper pronunciation of a great many things, he thought, not for the first time.  
"They, their brother and sister were all put into service by Odin." His visage darkened noticeably as he took the pieces from Ava's hands. "I will return and free them all someday."  
Ava wanted to say something profound and meaningful, but as she began there was a long, ponderous knock at the door.  
"Answer that," Loki ordered, not unkindly, as he moved to put the articles that represented two of his sons onto the lid of a trunk in the corner. Ava nodded somewhat sadly and approached the door. As the door swung open what felt like a pressure vacuum was released, causing a bit of a headache for the young physicist. The servant girl bent her knee slightly and offered up a large silver tea tray. Ava thanked her and took the meal.  
Sitting the service on a sideboard, Ava noticed Loki had shrugged out of his long leather overcoat. She had at first thought the sleeves to be part of that garment but evidently they were not. The leather and broadcloth tapered down to Loki's forearms where his bracers were meant to protect him from incoming blows; part sleeve, part shield.  
"I will let you continue divesting me after we have taken our meal, my sweet." Loki smirked, the dark cloud of a moment ago faded to barely more than a shadow.  
"As it please you, my king." Ava lowered her head in regard, a demure yet delighted smile on her lips.  
Loki was as good as his word. Ava had served up the light repast before settling into the chair Loki had indicated silently and they spoke of idle matters while he covered her hand with his own.  
Once Loki had finished he stood again and bade Ava return to her task. Close-fitting and intricate, the bracers were the most complicated; it took several minutes for her to figure out how to loosen the hidden straps enough to slide them over Loki's hands. The layers of leather, metal and cloth that made up the upper pieces of Loki's vestments were much more easily navigated and it was with a great deal of delight that Ava that held them in her outstretched arms and beheld the pale bare skin of Loki's chest.  
That smooth, sinewy form was marred with a series of three scars of unequal length, like the marking of a giant cat though far more severe than Ava imagined anything save a lion or tiger could create. Where there was a foundation of muscle, the marks were a livid pink that blossomed into an angry red the lower they traveled. Despite their coloration, the scars looked to have been healed by an unusually expedient process she could only figure was another form of magic. They rent his flesh from his left shoulder downward in a diagonal slash across the upper abdomen and over the flat of his belly, the longest one disappeared into the dark leather of his breeches.  
As worrisome as those marks were, they excited Ava's imagination along an avenue far removed from medical knowledge.  
A soft chuckle woke Ava from her oogling trance. "Don't drift off into day dreams yet, my darling one." He grinned at her bemusement.  
"Apologies, my king." The subservient redhead lowered her head in an attempt to hide the pink of her blush. "Shall I put these into the wardrobe?"  
"For now." Loki replied, letting her play coy for the time being; he would very shortly disabuse her of the show of maidenshame. Far too much had passed between them for that!  
Ava opened the dark wooden door of the chifferobe and stepped back in surprise."This wasn't here before." She declared, seeing what looked like a mannequin.  
"Ah," Loki turned to see what had prompted her concern. "My cabinet, a bit of magic. Very useful. It can conjure almost anything you might require."  
Ava smirked somewhat peevishly. "I wish I had known that this morning, I would have made myself more presentable for you, my liege."  
A grin spread over the diety's face and he stood behind her while she settled the garments onto their frame and placed the bits of metal into a cloth lined drawer.  
As Ava stepped back and closed the wardrobe, she came full against Loki's bare chest. He brushed his fingertips along her forearms, eliciting a sensual shiver to course up her spine.  
"You are so delightfully new to the ways of magic, my sweet." He breathed huskily, his lips just barely brushing the edge of her ear. "And the ways of power."  
Ava shuddered at the nearness once again, Loki's dominance over her was most complete when he touched her so. Guiding, teaching, molding her.  
"The cabinet works by will. You are the concubine of a king, my precious, and a concubine does not wish; a concubine expects."  
Loki's firm palms rested at her waist. "Now, love." He moved her closer to the wooden structure. "Retrieve something you crave."  
Ava reached forward tentatively. Feeling that Loki was testing her in a way, she wanted to impress him but she couldn't think of anything she craved at the moment.. apart from he himself.  
It did occur to her that there was one item she had longed for since abandoning her old life, something she had missed more than she thought she would. With a deep breath Ava pulled the armoire open and saw the fluffy white terrycloth robe she had changed out of just before she and Hawk had made their escape from Stuttgart. She grinned and buried her face in the fabric, breathing in the aroma of lavender oil she had used on all her bedding items.  
"It's a start," Loki kissed the back of her head and laughed softly. "You can wear it later after we have bathed each other." He lingered next to her for a moment longer, very well aware of how he affected he, especially as he took her hand and led her toward the bed.  
The tall darkhaired god halted when he was even with the foot of his large bed. Turning toward Ava he faced her once more, this time putting a hand on each shoulder. "Kneel, my pet." He instructed and very gently pushed her lower, he did not allow her a step backwards, and given their proximity to each other Ava could not balance as she descended without steadying herself by placing her hands on Loki's thighs.  
Her palms feeling every ripple of muscle in his legs, face scant inches from his groin Ava saw that those momentary flirtatious smirks were not idle chatter. He was every bit as effected by whatever this attraction was between them... maybe more so given the strain he was putting on the dark leather.  
Loki's fingertips brushed Ava's jaw, softly forcing her to look up along his long stretch of body. Past the swell of his manhood, over the treasure trail thatch of hair just below his navel and the narrow ridges of his upper pelvic bone (her college roommate had once made her blush crimson calling this manly features cum gutters), over his taut belly, the shallow rent scars, the healthy patch of chest hair, up into his face as he gazed down at her.  
The majestic glory that stood before her made Ava quiver with a fierce desire. She wanted Loki so completely it was an ache in her soul. To please him as he protected her, to nurture him as he cared for her, to belong to him as he possessed her.  
 _Here is the proof of that most human of desires, subjugation._  He thought. The way Ava looked up at him with such love, reverence and ... it was more than trust. It was a deference to his very will. In her expression Loki knew that no matter how the battle went tonight, he had been triumphant over her. And if one human could be brought so completely to heel...  
Ava drank in his form with a heady mix of lust and submission. Her palms splayed over the rich dark material that covered Loki's muscular legs, she could feel each and every subtle twitch of sinew beneath his skin. Hyperaware of the minute squares of metal that ran along his outer thigh, each held in place by a stitch of some sort of twine. Very conscious of the swelling at the apex of his thigh, she was not modest about letting her eyes linger there a moment.  
Loki sat down on the edge of his bed and Ava's brow knitted in confusion. Why have her kneel and show her the evidence of what he wanted, then take it away? _Because you belong to him and he knows it._ The internal and external sensations came together like a perfect storm and the young woman shuddered with what can only be called bittersweet delight. She had taken other lovers, but the possibility of this sweet ache of desire and protection had never even occurred to her.  
Realizing Loki wished her to take off his boots but, given his silent half smirk, was not going to tell her how to do so, the redheaded physicist could only explore and experiment. A prospect that greatly pleased both servant and master.  
Ava's fingers exploration of the intricacies of Loki's boots was an exercise in joy and frustration. The tactile delight that met her fingertips as she moved her hands along the seams of leather, among the bronze fittings and buttons that closed what she would have to call spats and held them in place over the lower legs of her Dominant until she sussed out their secret workings. She prised the couplings apart with loving care, holding each foot in her lap tenderly.  
Loki watched her with patient fondness, the feel of her hands causing a warmth spread through his body.  
"Are you cold, Ava?" Loki asked huskily, noting with self satisfaction how her skin had erupted in gooseflesh. "No, my king." Was her honeyed reply, a sweet smile playing across her lips as she knelt before him.  
"Rise." Ava obeyed without hesitation, standing to receive the passionate regard of her lord and lover. Loki flicked his eyes over her lithe frame. The flame of his desire would not abide any further delay and he conjured her clothing to a pile at her feet. He stood in a trice, knotted his hand in her rich auburn tresses and brought her bare body to his chest. His lips burned along the skin of her throat in a biting kiss that ignited her deepest desires.  
"On the bed." Loki growled. "Face down."  
Ava trembled as she mounted the luxuriant span of mattress. This was going to be glorious!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry this has taken so long. I suffered a loss in the family soon after the last chapter that has seriously taken the wind out of my sails creatively speaking. That said, I hope this chapter is to your liking. Be well my dears. Thank you.

As Ava crawled along the bed at Loki's instruction it was far more than a normal sexual excitement that motivated her. It was worship made flesh. Arousal personified in the form of the being that watched her every movement. The dark wood of the looming posts of the bed, the rich feel of material beneath her fingers, the scent of exotic leathers. These things told Ava one thing unequivocally. That here...in this room... the king's desire was the law of the realm.

Loki watched Ava move along his bed with a dark, wild desire. The line of her back, the roll of sinuous muscle beneath the skin of her trim thighs. He delighted in his creature. How willingly she accepted his commands. But not out of a duplicitousness in order to see her own wishes met. Many women he had known, throughout all the many realms, knew well how to act the coquet in order to control with sensuous chains.  
No. It was plain to see that Ava was not prone to such intrigues. And yet she was hardly a newcomer to the ways of desire. No innocent could have captivated him as she had. It may have been a moment of desperation on her part that had set them on this path, and Loki had been quite willing to be the paladin she had needed.  
And now, now she belonged to him body and soul. This was not a debt however. It was so much more than that. And in truth it awed him that she, a mere Midgardian, could be self-possessed enough to recognise within herself the primal desire to be ruled.

Ava lay upon the velvety green coverlet, her belly pressed to the cool firmness of the bed. Her body rose and fell with the soft intake of her breath. She faced away from him, for the sheer thrill of anticipation in not knowing from whence his first touch would come. She heard not even the most minute stir of movement but she could almost feel the heat of his gaze as it swept over her bare form. When finally she felt the pressure of Loki's weight join her on the bed a sweet smile brushed her lips and she shifted her head to face right.  
Along the smooth flank of each leg Ava felt first one finger, than more, coursing slowly upwards. The bed dipped and the heat of her king's breath touched the dewy skin at the small of her back just before he brushed it with the most gentle of kisses. She sighed with desire and affection. Unseen, a smile touched Loki's face as well.  


"The sounds you make are beautiful music, my darling." He continued his caresses over the swell of her hips...  


"I savor each sigh." ... the curve of her waist...  


"Every breathless moan." ... along the sensitive flesh of her ribs.  


"But I think you can do far more than this."  


Loki trapped Ava's wrists beneath his hands. As his face hovered at her shoulder, Loki made a deep growl. "I will rip the very breath from your throat, my angel. I am the maestro and you belong to me now." He sank lips and no small amount of teeth to the side of her neck. A ragged gasp of desperate joy stole from Ava's mouth... the first note of the concerto Loki composed that night. And it pleased him immensely.  


Her body still trembling from the fervent tone of his words Ava was sent reeling as Loki trailed a hand along her spine, down to nestle in the thatch of her pubis, fingers teasing at her void rhythmically. His name escaped her lips and she began to work her hips in tandem. He rolled her swelling bud between thumb and forefinger making her purr with delight... until he pinched softly bringing a squeak of half-hearted protest.  


"I will let you know when you have permission to feel the release you crave, pet."  


Ava nodded, an unabashed frown of disappointment forming on her pretty mouth. Loki suddenly broke all contact and arched an expectant brow.  


"Is a simple nod the proper way to acknowledge your Master, sweet one?"  


Ava lowered her eyes to the field of green satin. "No, My King." She spoke with obedient address. "I will do as you command, when it is commanded."  


The grin returned to Loki's visage. "That's my sweet darling." He leaned forward over her body and pressed his lips firmly to hers. "Though I may not always be gentle, know that I will never be cruel."  


He traced the line of her jaw with a finger with such affection that a tear sparkled at the edge of Ava's lash. "Yes, my love." She said brokenly.  
After what seemed an eternity, Loki allowed Ava's pleasure soaked brain to climax. As her trembling body drifted on the tsunami of pleasure, Loki held her whispering soft words of affection before standing and sweeping her up into his arms. Ava started at the abrupt movement, pulling her body closer to Loki's chest and grasping his neck. "What are you doing?" She yelped as Loki carried her effortlessly toward the large armoire. "Open the door." The lithe Asgardian instructed with a sardonic grin.


End file.
